‘If we get du Plessis, we have a good chance of getting some of the information we need. This is where your people and mine could cooperate.’
‘Commander, we all know that du Plessis supposedly abducted your son. Are you sure you’re not letting any personal feelings get in the way of your judgement?’
‘I never do. If you knew anything about the way I work, you’d know that was true.’
‘So you say.’ Parkin stood up. ‘In my eyes, we’re already cooperating. Every law enforcement agency in the country is out there searching for this man. But if this scenario is where your antenna is fixed right now, I prefer to follow my own investigation. Is that the full body of information you have for us so far?’
‘Pretty much,’ Trevor said.
‘Then thank you again.’ Parkin’s two colleagues got to their feet as well. ‘We’ll get to work. We’ll certainly be in touch with what we find, and we expect to hear from you too. In the meantime, Commander, if you get any proof of that scenario, you bring it to us. I’m happy to hear facts but I’ve never been interested in fantasies.’
Harrigan didn’t reply. They walked out.
‘Arseholes,’ Frankie muttered.
There was silence.
‘Where do we go from here, boss?’ Trevor asked.
‘Where you’re going now,’ Harrigan replied. ‘Keep looking into Calvo’s background. Check out Sam Jonas. Sit down and work through the information again. In my opinion, you’re on the right track. Meantime, I think everyone here needs a break. Get some fresh air. Trev, your office now.’
At his desk, a change came over Trevor. The public face had gone; he seemed to have trouble looking Harrigan in the eye.
‘I got your wire, boss. I’m guessing that’s why you wanted to talk to me.’ He passed the paraphernalia over to Harrigan. ‘Are you sure you just want to record? You don’t want us to listen in?’
‘No, what you’ve given me is fine.’
‘Boss, your son being snatched like that. What was it really about?’
‘What do you think it’s about?’ Harrigan said.
‘He wanted something from you, didn’t he?’ Trevor asked quietly.
Harrigan shook his head.
‘Come on, boss. Was it what Freeman gave Gracie, maybe? Did you give it to this du Plessis? He didn’t even tell you where your boy was. Gracie found him, thank Christ.’
‘Grace got some information for us,’ Harrigan said, changing the subject. ‘She gave it to me last night. She says there’s a connection between Jonas and Brinsmead.’
‘How can she know that?’
‘To put it simply, she found it out talking to Brinsmead. He’d met her at the LPS launch. He wanted to tell her how he got his burns. He’s got a connection to the DRC with du Plessis and Beck. According to him, all three of them were there together.’
‘Are you telling me Brinsmead is our anonymous operative in the dossier?’ Trevor asked.
‘He’d have all the right qualifications,’ Harrigan said.
‘You didn’t say that to the boys and girls out there.’
‘Grace thinks Brinsmead and Jonas might be legitimate operatives from a secret service agency and their brief is to find out what Beck and LPS are up to. Now that scenario makes sense, but we have to find out whether it’s actually true. If we advertise this information, we could be sabotaging their investigation. But if they’re rogue, then they’re right in the picture for this. They’re an obvious source for the dossier, for example.’ Harrigan spoke more quietly. ‘I’d also be looking at Sam Jonas for Marvin’s shooting.’
‘What makes you think that?’
‘Gut. And the fact that it couldn’t have been du Plessis.’
‘What are you going to do, boss?’
‘See the commissioner as soon as I leave this office. Ask him to take the question to ASIO. If Brinsmead and Jonas are legitimate, then they’re the ones who should be able to find that fact out for us. Until we know that, I don’t want this information going anywhere. It’s between you and me. That’s why I’ve waited until now to discuss it with you. I wanted to think it through first.’
‘What about getting a statement from Gracie?’
‘We do need to do that. I’ll talk to her about it. In the meantime, add Brinsmead to your list of people to check out. There’s something else you need to know. There are crop specimens in existence. Harold Morrissey took some and gave them to me to bring back. They’re at the Millennium lab right now being tested.’
‘You didn’t enlighten our federal friends about that.’
‘Right now I want this information kept confidential until we know who Jonas and Brinsmead are.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me you had those specimens before, boss? Was it because of Marvin. You knew he was being run, didn’t you?’ Trevor said.
‘I guessed.’
‘Look, as far as I’m concerned you’re still the boss. I haven’t forgotten what you did for me in the commissioner’s office the other day. But Jesus, mate, if you had an idea about Marvin you could have told me. Maybe we could have worked something out. We’ve lost enough evidence as it is.’
‘I warned you, mate, if you remember. I spent a lot of time and effort keeping him at bay. It’s why I’m going after Calvo now. I want her to incriminate herself.’
‘Isn’t she too smart for that?’
‘It depends on how desperate she is.’
‘All right, we’ll go with it.’
‘There are no secrets from now on, mate,’ Harrigan said.
‘You’ve got nothing left to hide, boss. Is that what you mean?’
‘I mean you can trust me.’
‘I always have, mate. Believe it or not, I still do.’
The commissioner made time for Harrigan as soon as he heard his request and then listened to what he had to say intently. Once Harrigan had finished, it took him some minutes to reply
‘That’s one way of getting information,’ he said. ‘But I know Ms Riordan was a police officer and my understanding is she still works in the field in some way. Her reputation says her word is reliable. She was also able to find Toby.’
‘Our investigation can’t move forward until we get the status of these two individuals cleared up.’
‘I’ve found your judgement dependable, Paul. Leave it with me. I’ll ask ASIO the question. We can’t be assured of an immediate response but we’ll see what they have to say. If they tell us hands off, we’ll know where we stand.’
When Harrigan finally left the building, he was wired for sound. He had Elena Calvo to see; it wasn’t a prospect that made him happy. Later this evening he wanted to see Grace if he could, badly. Someone to make him feel human, to get him out of his head. At the moment, the idea had the appeal of a very welcome change.
26
The city offices of Life Patent Strategies were on the thirty-third floor of Australia Square. As promised, a man was waiting to meet Harrigan at the entrance to the underground car park. He didn’t introduce himself, but politely showed Harrigan where to park and then led him into the elevator. It deposited them near a glass door decorated with the LPS insignia. Elena’s bodyguard Damien was waiting to let them into a reception area furnished with soft chairs. A padded silence absorbed sound. The first bodyguard stationed himself by the door while Damien showed Harrigan to Elena’s office.
It was a large and uncluttered room with a minimal amount of furniture. Clearly, she liked space around her. It stretched from the door to her desk and on either side of her. She had been waiting for him in silence; a visitor’s chair was already in place. Briefly, he looked past her at the view. Against a perfect sky, the glass towers at North Sydney showed a strangely insubstantial outline. She turned to look as well.
‘It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘I’m never tired of that view, it makes me feel free. I’ve very rarely felt that in my life. Please sit down, Commander. I’m going to trust you once again. That’s all, Damien. I’ll call you.’
Both waited until the door had closed behind the bodyguard. Harrigan watched her take in the sight of his damaged face.